Grantlandhttp://www.businessinsider.com/category/grantland
en-usSat, 10 Dec 2016 00:58:26 -0500Sat, 10 Dec 2016 00:58:26 -0500The latest news on Grantland from Business Insiderhttp://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/president-obama-owner-nba-team-2015-11President Obama fantasizes about owning an NBA teamhttp://www.businessinsider.com/president-obama-owner-nba-team-2015-11
Tue, 17 Nov 2015 10:19:40 -0500Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/564b3edb2491f973008b5b89-2514-1886/gettyimages-160240190.jpg" alt="LeBron James and Barack Obama" data-mce-source="Mark Wilson/Getty Images" /></p><p>President Barack Obama sat down with Bill Simmons to do a <a href="http://www.gq.com/story/president-obama-bill-simmons-interview-gq-men-of-the-year">Q&amp;A for GQ magazine</a>.</p>
<p>The interview covered a wide range of topics, from politics, to family, his smoking habits, favorite television shows, and of course, sports.</p>
<p>At one point, Simmons asked Obama, a well-known basketball junkie, if he ever wants to own an NBA team. The president was emphatic.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">BS:&nbsp;Would you ever want to be part of the ownership for an NBA team?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>BO: Absolutely.</strong></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">BS: Would it have to be the Bulls, or would it have to be somebody else?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>BO:&nbsp;Well, you know, I know [Jerry] Reinsdorf pretty good&mdash;he&rsquo;s not giving that thing up anytime soon. But I have fantasized about being able to put together a team and how much fun that would be. I think it&rsquo;d be terrific.</strong></p>
<p>During the interview, Obama also compared himself to Aaron Rodgers when asked about whether or not his job is overwhelming. Simmons compared Obama's ability to remain focused to that of San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. The president preferred a comparison to Rodgers for his ability to remain focused.</p>
<p><span>"Or maybe [Aaron] Rodgers in the pocket," said Obama. "In the sense of you can&rsquo;t be distracted by what&rsquo;s around you, you&rsquo;ve got to be looking downfield."</span></p>
<p><span>It was also interesting to note that Obama has kept up with the ins and outs of the sports media world, commenting on both Simmons' departure from Grantland and his feud with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.</span></p>
<p><span>According to Simmons, withing seconds of greeting each other, Obama was "teasing" him about Grantland.</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span><span>"It&rsquo;s really aggravating not having you on Grantland," he said, almost like I betrayed him. "I go to the site and there&rsquo;s no Simmons. Come on, man, it&rsquo;s not the same."</span></span></p>
<p><span><span><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/564b425b2491f95f028b5aea-1200-600/bill-simmons-espn.jpg" alt="bill simmons espn" data-mce-source="Amy Sussman/Getty Images" /></span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Later, Obama commented on&nbsp;Goodell ("<span>I cannot believe that the commissioner of football gets paid $44 million a year") when Simmons tried to lure the president into a conversation about Goodell's job security and standing with the owners (<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-suspended-2014-9">Simmons famously called Goodell a liar on his podcast</a>, a move that led to a suspension from ESPN and eventually his divorce from the network).</span></span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">BS: So you think the owners like having him there?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>BO: You&rsquo;re not going to drag me into your fights, man. Come on&mdash;I&rsquo;ve got enough fights of my own. <em>[laughs]</em> This is between you and Roger.</strong></p>
<p><span><span><span>This was the second time Simmons has interviewed Obama, with the president previously appearing on Simmons' previous podcast with ESPN, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/simmons-criticized-for-obama-podcast-2012-3">a move that angered a lot of sportswriters</a>.</span></span></span></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/president-obama-owner-nba-team-2015-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-wonderlic-test-rookie-questions-iq-2016-11">Take the IQ test that every rookie has to take</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-president-john-skipper-grantland-2015-11ESPN president says there is one person who could have saved Grantland after Bill Simmons lefthttp://www.businessinsider.com/espn-president-john-skipper-grantland-2015-11
Sat, 14 Nov 2015 06:47:00 -0500Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5640aff7bd86ef195c8bd273-1649-1237/gettyimages-455497476.jpg" alt="John Skipper" data-mce-source="Getty Images" /></p><p>It has been nearly two weeks since ESPN shut down Grantland, the sports and pop-culture website started by Bill Simmons, and we are starting to get a clearer picture of why ESPN killed off a popular brand and what could have saved it.</p>
<p>ESPN president John Skipper, in his first interview since the closing of the site, <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/11/john-skipper-grantland-interview">with James Miller for Vanity Fair</a>, discusses the reasons behind the decision and acknowledges that there was one person who could have been promoted to keep Grantland afloat, a hire that was tied to maintaining the culture created by Bill Simmons.</p>
<p>Skipper says ESPN offered the editor-in-chief position to Grantland editor Sean Fennessey, a Simmons loyalist.</p>
<p><span>"We did make Sean Fennessey an offer to become editor-in-chief," Skipper said. "You ask, 'If Sean had said yes, then would we have still made the same decision about the site,' and the answer to that has to be 'no.' We would have kept it going. There was no way we would have made that job offer to him if we weren't going to keep going."</span></p>
<p>Fennessey was one of four Grantlanders to leave the site near the end and join Simmons for his new project that has yet to be revealed.</p>
<p>Recently, Chris Connelly, who was serving as Grantland's interim editor-in-chief, strongly suggested that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/grantland-chris-connelly-why-grantland-was-shut-down-2015-11">Grantland was ultimately shut down because it wasn't making any money</a>.</p>
<p>Skipper, however, denies it was a financial decision and says it was more about the effort that was needed to keep it going.</p>
<p><span>"In the weighing of a decision like this," Skipper told Miller, "you look at the resources, the time, the energy necessary to do this well and balance that with the things you get from it. This was never a financial matter for us. The benefits were having a halo brand and being Bill Simmons related."</span></p>
<p><span>This supports the notion that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-left-grantland-2015-10">Grantland effectively died when Simmons left</a> but just didn't know it yet.</span></p>
<p>Skipper also says the decision was not influenced by Disney, ESPN's parent company, suggesting that the death of Grantland was not tied to the budget cuts that resulted in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-president-john-skipper-confirms-espn-layoffs-2015-10">more than 300 layoffs at ESPN</a> in recent weeks.</p>
<p>In the case of Fennessey, Skipper and ESPN misplayed their hand and didn't realize just how tight-knit Simmons' group was.</p>
<p>Miller writes:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Skipper admits to underestimating the effect Simmons's exit would have, conceding it affected Grantland personnel more than he or perhaps anyone else on his management team anticipated.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"We lacked a full understanding of the bonding nature between Bill and those guys," Skipper says now. But along with management failing to appreciate fully the bond between Simmons and his staff, it also misunderstood the Grantland culture &mdash; enough to imagine that turning the site over to Chris Connelly, brought in as a temporary Simmons replacement, would sit well with the staff.</p>
<p>It is amazing to think that a company like ESPN would just get rid of a media brand with name recognition even if it wasn't yet making any money. But at the end of the day, it wasn't making money, it was a complicated mess without Simmons, Skipper thought it would have taken to too much energy and resources to keep it going, and the one person Skipper wanted to keep it afloat didn't want the job.</p>
<p>And now it is gone.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-president-john-skipper-grantland-2015-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-mob-gambling-ties-national-football-league-secrets-2016-11">The secret history of the NFL's mob and gambling ties</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-president-john-skipper-grantland-2015-11ESPN president says there is one person who could have saved Grantland after Bill Simmons lefthttp://www.businessinsider.com/espn-president-john-skipper-grantland-2015-11
Mon, 09 Nov 2015 10:29:13 -0500Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5640aff7bd86ef195c8bd273-1649-1237/gettyimages-455497476.jpg" alt="John Skipper" data-mce-source="Getty Images" /></p><p>It has been nearly two weeks since ESPN shut down Grantland, the sports and pop-culture website started by Bill Simmons, and we are starting to get a clearer picture of why ESPN killed off a popular brand and what could have saved it.</p>
<p>ESPN president John Skipper, in his first interview since the closing of the site, <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/11/john-skipper-grantland-interview">with James Miller for Vanity Fair</a>, discusses the reasons behind the decision and acknowledges that there was one person who could have been promoted to keep Grantland afloat, a hire that was tied to maintaining the culture created by Bill Simmons.</p>
<p>Skipper says ESPN offered the editor-in-chief position to Grantland editor Sean Fennessey, a Simmons loyalist.</p>
<p><span>"We did make Sean Fennessey an offer to become editor-in-chief," Skipper said. "You ask, 'If Sean had said yes, then would we have still made the same decision about the site,' and the answer to that has to be 'no.' We would have kept it going. There was no way we would have made that job offer to him if we weren't going to keep going."</span></p>
<p>Fennessey was one of four Grantlanders to leave the site near the end and join Simmons for his new project that has yet to be revealed.</p>
<p>Recently, Chris Connelly, who was serving as Grantland's interim editor-in-chief, strongly suggested that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/grantland-chris-connelly-why-grantland-was-shut-down-2015-11">Grantland was ultimately shut down because it wasn't making any money</a>.</p>
<p>Skipper, however, denies it was a financial decision and says it was more about the effort that was needed to keep it going.</p>
<p><span>"In the weighing of a decision like this," Skipper told Miller, "you look at the resources, the time, the energy necessary to do this well and balance that with the things you get from it. This was never a financial matter for us. The benefits were having a halo brand and being Bill Simmons related."</span></p>
<p><span>This supports the notion that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-left-grantland-2015-10">Grantland effectively died when Simmons left</a> but just didn't know it yet.</span></p>
<p>Skipper also says the decision was not influenced by Disney, ESPN's parent company, suggesting that the death of Grantland was not tied to the budget cuts that resulted in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-president-john-skipper-confirms-espn-layoffs-2015-10">more than 300 layoffs at ESPN</a> in recent weeks.</p>
<p>In the case of Fennessey, Skipper and ESPN misplayed their hand and didn't realize just how tight-knit Simmons' group was.</p>
<p>Miller writes:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Skipper admits to underestimating the effect Simmons's exit would have, conceding it affected Grantland personnel more than he or perhaps anyone else on his management team anticipated.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"We lacked a full understanding of the bonding nature between Bill and those guys," Skipper says now. But along with management failing to appreciate fully the bond between Simmons and his staff, it also misunderstood the Grantland culture &mdash; enough to imagine that turning the site over to Chris Connelly, brought in as a temporary Simmons replacement, would sit well with the staff.</p>
<p>It is amazing to think that a company like ESPN would just get rid of a media brand with name recognition even if it wasn't yet making any money. But at the end of the day, it wasn't making money, it was a complicated mess without Simmons, Skipper thought it would have taken to too much energy and resources to keep it going, and the one person Skipper wanted to keep it afloat didn't want the job.</p>
<p>And now it is gone.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-president-john-skipper-grantland-2015-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lebron-james-eats-diet-workout-routine-cleveland-nba-basketball-2016-11">Here's the diet and workout routine LeBron James uses to stay in insane shape</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-espn-podcast-roger-goodell-liar-2015-11Bill Simmons says he should have cut out the Roger Goodell rant on his podcast that led to his downfall with ESPNhttp://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-espn-podcast-roger-goodell-liar-2015-11
Thu, 05 Nov 2015 10:05:44 -0500Scott Davis
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/563b6a979dd7cc70408bc562-1451-1088/snapshot_20140520_195300.jpg" alt="Bill Simmons" data-mce-source="ESPN" /></p><p>One week after <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-has-suspended-bill-simmons-former-website-grantland-2015-10">ESPN shut down Grantland</a>, Bill Simmons gave his most honest assessment and reflection yet of his time at Grantland on <a href="https://soundcloud.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast">his new podcast</a>.</p>
<p>Speaking with journalist Malcolm Gladwell, Simmons spoke about his time at ESPN, saying although it ended in a messy fashion, he doesn't regret his time there.</p>
<p>Simmons even said&nbsp;he used to laud ESPN as a great place to work when he was recruiting other creative types, such as Nate Silver, who later started his own site with ESPN.</p>
<p>"My pitch to [Silver] was over and over ... 'this is a great place to work,'" Simmons said.&nbsp;"'ESPN gets a bad rap.&nbsp;It's actually a good place for a creative person to work,' which it was for those five years."</p>
<p>Simmons said that although the culture can change in big corporations,&nbsp;he's not blameless for the falling out. He then began to talk about his <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-roger-goodell-2014-9">infamous podcast where he called Roger Goodell a "liar" and then challenged ESPN to suspend him</a>, arguing he was allowed to say what he wants. Simmons has said that the subsequent suspension &mdash; and dock in pay &mdash; was the ultimate turning point.</p>
<p>"When I did that podcast with Goodell &mdash;&nbsp;we took stuff out of my podcast all the time," Simmons began.</p>
<p>"My whole thing with the podcast was: you know, the third rail was sitting over there, you gotta be really careful walking toward it, you don't want to touch it. But sometimes it's fun to get really close. And the good thing about podcasts is if you touch the rail, and you realize you touched it and you got electrocuted, you go, 'Yeah, we should take that out.'&nbsp;And we did that a bunch of times."</p>
<p>Simmons explained that at the time of the podcast he was mad about behind-the-scenes things (which he wouldn't elaborate on), he was working hard, and was about to begin a six-hour taping session with Jalen Rose for NBA previews. As he was about to begin taping, some people began contacting asking if he wanted to edit the podcast before it went live.</p>
<p>"A couple of my people&nbsp;were texting me,&nbsp;like, 'Hey man, you wanna listen to that podcast before it goes up? You got pretty into that one.' [He said] 'Eh, no, that's fine, it's OK, just go with it.' And I never listened to it.</p>
<p>"If I had heard&nbsp;it," he continued, "I would have said, 'You know what, that doesn't sound &mdash; I don't think that's worth it. We should take that out.' I would have taken it out."</p>
<p>Gladwell argued that Simmons has the wrong impulse, and in the midst of a legitimate argument against the NFL, should have been allowed to criticize Goodell.&nbsp;</p>
<p>While Simmons agreed, he said he feels badly for "pushing the envelope" and putting the people working for him at the site in a bad spot. He added that he should have listened to the podcast, held a meeting, and decided whether it was worth it.</p>
<p>Simmons also acknowledged that the resulting suspension was the ultimate reason for the split with ESPN and that what happened after the suspension was inevitable.</p>
<p>"That really set the tone for just a really bad next eight months," Simmons said. "It was always heading a certain way after they suspended me."</p>
<p>Nonetheless, Simmons still believes ESPN handled the whole thing poorly, in regards to communication. He confirms <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-found-out-on-twitter-2015-5">he learned through Twitter</a> that his contract wouldn't be renewed, the Grantland staff learned the same way, and ESPN didn't communicate the future of the site with the remaining staff after Simmons left.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-espn-podcast-roger-goodell-liar-2015-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/kareem-abdul-jabbar-ncaa-should-pay-their-athletes-2015-10">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar perfectly explains why colleges should pay athletes</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-ombudsman-rips-espn-over-grantland-2015-11Former ombudsman rips ESPN for shutting down Grantland, '﻿a beacon in a field of sludge'http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-ombudsman-rips-espn-over-grantland-2015-11
Mon, 02 Nov 2015 14:03:05 -0500Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5637b0989dd7cc19008c685d-3295-2471/gettyimages-464178475.jpg" alt="Robert Lipsyte" data-mce-source="Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images" /></p><p>ESPN has been roundly criticized for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-has-suspended-bill-simmons-former-website-grantland-2015-10">shutting down the sports and pop-culture website Grantland</a><span>, which launched in 2011.</span></p>
<p>The latest comes from sports journalist Robert Lipsyte, who served as ESPN's ombudsman in 2013 and 2014, and he doesn't hold back.</p>
<p>He also went too far.</p>
<p>In a column for The Nation, Lipsyte says farewell to Grantland, which&nbsp;he refers to as "<a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/goodbye-grantland-espns-home-for-actual-sports-journalism/">ESPN's home for actual sports journalism" and "a beacon in a field of sludge."</a></p>
<p>And those are just in the headline.</p>
<p>Lipsyte does spend much of the column praising what Grantland was and how they did it. But there was still room to criticize the self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader in Sports:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Last Friday, ESPN announced it was chopping this proud pinky off its ham hand, only a few months after declaring its commitment to Grantland despite having just fired Simmons. Without its beneficiary and editor-in-chief, ESPN had no need for an entertaining and prestigious niche that made little or no money ...&nbsp;Earlier last week, ESPN had laid off more than 300 employees. It was facing an annual $1.4 billion bill for NBA rights alone. Perhaps that made it too hard to justify maintaining its class act.</p>
<p>Lipsyte goes on to criticize what ESPN has become:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">On a daily basis, ESPN&rsquo;s main energy seems directed toward cranking out trade rumors and coaching change speculation to keep fans engaged, while its top broadcasters engage in squabbling packaged as debate ...&nbsp;Perhaps it&rsquo;s simply na&iuml;ve to expect a network that actually owns bowl games, has entire channels devoted to major college sports conferences, and runs a revolving door for sports figures who want to try their voice at broadcasting, also maintain a reliable journalistic presence.</p>
<p>This has been the focus of much of the criticism of ESPN's decisions to shut down Grantland.&nbsp;The network has been attacked&nbsp;for jettisoning&nbsp;a strong journalistic presence while at the same time keeping things like the highly criticized "First Take," a&nbsp;sports debate show on ESPN2 with partners-in-loudness, Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith.</p>
<p>However, the criticism may also be too simplistic.</p>
<p>A show like "First Take" represents such a small percentage of everything that is aired on ESPN's family of networks and to point only to that one show is to ignore a lot of the great things ESPN does, such "Outside the Lines," "30 for 30," and segments on "SportsCenter" that go beyond highlights.</p>
<p>The criticism&nbsp;also passes over all the excellent longform stories written at ESPN.com and in ESPN the Magazine. Moreover, many of Grantland's writers will continue write under those banners.</p>
<p>It also ignores the simple fact that ESPN embraces debate on shows like "First Take," because that's what people want.&nbsp;</p>
<p>ESPN executive editor John A. Walsh appeared on Bill Simmons' podcast "The B.S. Report," back in 2012. Towards the end of the interview, debate shows came up:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"What's really developed here is that [First Take] has hit a nerve because it has developed a debate personality ... it's hit ratings. And the reason is that these two personalities have clicked ... I do think that there are places that debates can go that they haven't gone so far. It will be something we should be looking at."</p>
<p>At the end of the day, Grantland was shut down because it <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/grantland-chris-connelly-why-grantland-was-shut-down-2015-11">wasn't making any money</a> at a time when ESPN was being forced to make cuts. It is fair to argue that ESPN should have continued to subsidize the venture as a worthy cause. But it is unfair to suggest ESPN got rid of the website just because they prefer to pay people to scream at each other.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-ombudsman-rips-espn-over-grantland-2015-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nike-deal-cristiano-ronaldo-spends-money-real-madrid-2016-11">Cristiano Ronaldo just signed a lifetime deal with Nike reportedly worth $1 billion — here's how he makes and spends his money</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/grantland-chris-connelly-why-grantland-was-shut-down-2015-11The real reason ESPN killed Grantland: It wasn't making any moneyhttp://www.businessinsider.com/grantland-chris-connelly-why-grantland-was-shut-down-2015-11
Mon, 02 Nov 2015 09:53:00 -0500Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5637768d9dd7cc10008c6795-3116-2337/gettyimages-485759895.jpg" alt="Chris Connelly" data-mce-source="Getty Images" /></p><p>On Friday, ESPN unceremoniously announced it was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-has-suspended-bill-simmons-former-website-grantland-2015-10">shutting down the sports and pop-culture website Grantland</a>, which launched in 2011.</p>
<p>There has been a lot of speculation on what went wrong and why ESPN gave up on the lauded site, but at the end of the day it appears to have died for the same reason most business ventures die: It wasn't making any money.</p>
<p>Chris Connelly, who took over as Grantland's interim editor-in-chief when Bill Simmons left in May, did an <a href="http://www.si.com/more-sports/2015/11/01/grantland-chris-connelly-interview-bill-simmons-espn">interview with Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated</a> about Grantland and its demise. Connelly was asked directly, "Why did the site ultimately shut down?" His answer seems pretty clear: Grantland wasn't making any money at a time when ESPN was tightening its budget (emphasis ours).</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span>"Well some of that is not really my determination. I think ESPN has addressed the definitive thoughts on that. My feeling is, for what it is worth, we found ourselves up against new economic realities that maybe had not been foreseen when I took the job. <strong>When you are doing a site that you understand is not making money, you kind of understand when times get challenging or there is a new economic climate, you will be scrutinized very closely.</strong> I think the site continued to do fantastic editorial, for which I want to be sure not to take credit. That was the product of the editors and writers who were there every day of the week. <strong>But in this economic climate you will be very closely scrutinized if you are not a money-making operation.</strong>"</span></p>
<p>ESPN recently laid off hundreds of employees for the second time in several years, with both instances coming just before the network's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-layoffs-2015-10">costs to air live sports were about to skyrocket</a>. ESPN has also been losing subscribers, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cable-television-espn-households-layoffs-2015-10">down over 7% in just the past four years</a>, as it starts to feel the impact of cord cutting. On top of that, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-left-grantland-2015-10">interest in Grantland dwindled once Simmons left in May</a>.</p>
<p>All of that led to ESPN's decision that the site was no longer worth keeping afloat.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/grantland-chris-connelly-why-grantland-was-shut-down-2015-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-wonderlic-test-rookie-questions-iq-2016-11">Take the IQ test that every rookie has to take</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-left-grantland-2015-10Grantland died when Bill Simmons lefthttp://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-left-grantland-2015-10
Fri, 30 Oct 2015 17:06:22 -0400Cork Gaines
<p>After Bill Simmons and ESPN parted ways, there was a lot of speculation about what would happen to Grantland, the sports-and-pop-culture vanity site owned by ESPN.</p>
<p>It turns out that Grantland's fate was likely sealed once Simmons walked out the door.</p>
<p>Chris Connelly took over as interim editor-in-chief. But in recent weeks it seemed clear that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/grantland-is-in-trouble-2015-10">Grantland was in trouble</a> as key members of the staff left the site for other ventures, including several who rejoined Simmons to work on whatever he has coming in 2016.</p>
<p>Whether or not ESPN could have saved Grantland is up for debate &mdash; many felt there was no desire to do so &mdash; Grantland was still, at its core, Simmons' baby.</p>
<p>The chart below shows how often people have searched Google for "Grantland" since January, 2013. It does not speak directly to traffic or revenue, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/grantland-is-in-trouble-2015-10">both of which were not doing well</a>, but it does show that general interest in the site plummeted after Simmons left the company.</p>
<p>It would have taken a Herculean effort to stop the bleeding, and that never came.</p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5633d5ef9dd7cc1e008c62d0-800-600/01.png" alt="Grantland Chart" data-mce-source="Cork Gaines/Business Insider" /></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-left-grantland-2015-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/reruns-are-sped-up-to-add-commercials-tbs-tvland-hulu-netflix-seinfeld-2015-10">Cable channels are speeding up 'Seinfeld' reruns to squeeze in more commercials</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-espn-shut-down-grantland-2015-10Bill Simmons calls ESPN's decision to shut down Grantland 'appalling'http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-espn-shut-down-grantland-2015-10
Fri, 30 Oct 2015 15:20:52 -0400Emmett Knowlton
<p><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/537bfaafecad04b777e490f3-1920-1088/snapshot_20140520_195300.jpg" alt="Bill Simmons" data-mce-source="ESPN"></p><p></p>
<p>ESPN announced Friday that it was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-has-suspended-bill-simmons-former-website-grantland-2015-10">suspending Grantland</a>, the sports and pop-culture vanity website started by Bill Simmons in 2011.</p>
<p>After the news got out, Simmons took to Twitter to bash ESPN's decision.</p>
<p><div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
I loved everyone I worked with at G and loved what we built. Watching good/kind/talented people get treated so callously = simply appalling. </p>— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/660163657460875265">October 30, 2015</a>
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<p>In shutting down Grantland, ESPN cited the need to "<span>direct our time and energy going forward to projects that we believe will have a broader and more significant impact across our enterprise."</span></p>
<p>ESPN has said Grantland writers <a href="https://twitter.com/JimMiller/status/660158782408949760">will have their contracts honored</a>, and that its intent is to hire many of the former employees to write for other ESPN platforms. An ESPN source confirmed this to Business Insider, noting that much of the long-form content that defined Grantland will continue on <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">ESPN.com</span>.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">Simmons left ESPN in May when it decided to not renew his contract and took him off all platforms for the final five months of his contract. He is now at HBO, where he has launched a new podcast and is working on a new show that will air in 2016.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">In the months following Simmons' departure, numerous reports have suggested uncertainty over the future of the site because Simmons brought in the vast majority of traffic.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer"><div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
jesus, Grantland had *half* the traffic of Deadspin <a href="https://t.co/Aj9MBbU2FN">pic.twitter.com/Aj9MBbU2FN</a> </p>— herman punster (@suss2hyphens) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/660167795695443969">October 30, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer"><a href="http://thebiglead.com/2015/10/30/espns-corporate-push-undefeated-adding-20-staffers-while-grantland-closes/">The Big Lead reported</a> that some Grantland staff members may pivot to The Undefeated, a new ESPN venture focused on the intersection of race and sports. An ESPN source also told Business Insider that the network is still committed to The Undefeated and FiveThirtyEight.com, Nate Silver's website that ESPN owns.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-espn-shut-down-grantland-2015-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-most-olympic-athletes-caught-doping-2016-11">New doping tests are stripping Olympians of their medals — here are the countries that dope the most</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-has-suspended-bill-simmons-former-website-grantland-2015-10ESPN shuts down Grantlandhttp://www.businessinsider.com/espn-has-suspended-bill-simmons-former-website-grantland-2015-10
Fri, 30 Oct 2015 14:07:39 -0400Emmett Knowlton
<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/542418086da8119a450a412f-1426-801/bill-simmons-2.jpg" alt="bill simmons" data-mce-source="YouTube" data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xlEa6kf2T4"></p><p></p>
<p>ESPN is suspending Grantland, the company announced <a href="http://espnmediazone.com/us/espn-statement-regarding-grantland/">via a press release</a> Friday afternoon.</p>
<p>Grantland was previously run by Bill Simmons, who was effectively fired from the company earlier this year. Simmons has since joined HBO, where he will debut a new show in 2016.</p>
<p>In shutting down Grantland, ESPN cited the need to "<span>direct our time and energy going forward to projects that we believe will have a broader and more significant impact across our enterprise."</span></p>
<p>ESPN has said that Grantland writers <a href="https://twitter.com/JimMiller/status/660158782408949760">will have their contracts honored</a>, and that its intent is to hire many of the former employees to write for other ESPN platforms. An ESPN source confirmed this to Business Insider, noting that much of the longform content that defined Grantland will continue but on ESPN.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://thebiglead.com/2015/10/30/espns-corporate-push-undefeated-adding-20-staffers-while-grantland-closes/">The Big Lead reported</a> that some Grantland staff members may pivot to The Undefeated, a new ESPN venture focused on the intersection between race and sports. An ESPN source told Business Insider that ESPN is still firmly committed to The Undefeated and to 538.com, Nate Silver's website that is also owned by ESPN.</p>
<p>All Grantland content will be archived on ESPN's website, <a href="https://twitter.com/brianstelter/status/660164658431696897">according to</a> CNN's media reporter Brian Stelter.</p>
<p>Bill Simmons called the news "simply appalling."</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I loved everyone I worked with at G and loved what we built. Watching good/kind/talented people get treated so callously = simply appalling.</p>
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillSimmons/status/660163657460875265">October 30, 2015</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><p>Here is the announcement from ESPN:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Effective immediately we are suspending the publication of Grantland. After careful consideration, we have decided to direct our time and energy going forward to projects that we believe will have a broader and more significant impact across our enterprise.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Grantland distinguished itself with quality writing, smart ideas, original thinking and fun. We are grateful to those who made it so. Bill Simmons was passionately committed to the site and proved to be an outstanding editor with a real eye for talent. Thanks to all the other writers, editors and staff who worked very hard to create content with an identifiable sensibility and consistent intelligence and quality. We also extend our thanks to Chris Connelly who stepped in to help us maintain the site these past five months as he returns to his prior role.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Despite this change, the legacy of smart long-form sports story-telling and innovative short form video content will continue, finding a home on many of our other ESPN platforms.</p>
<p>Some former Grantland writers have been tweeting about the layoffs:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Well that's the first time I've ever found out I was laid off via Twitter</p>
— Michael Baumann (@MJ_Baumann) <a href="https://twitter.com/MJ_Baumann/status/660155335311650816">October 30, 2015</a>
</blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><p>Grantland started in 2011 and featured some of the best sportswriting, longform, and cultural criticism anywhere on the internet. It helped launch the careers of many young writers, though since Simmons left in April the future was always unclear.</p>
<p>Many of the site's writers took to Twitter following the announcement:</p>
<p><div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
. <a href="https://t.co/BrcfFIXWGK">pic.twitter.com/BrcfFIXWGK</a> </p>— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/660167949064368128">October 30, 2015</a>
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Grantland was a miracle, that’s how. I loved it and love it and I can’t believe I got to write with those guys for that long. </p>— THE HOLLY GHOST (@HollyAnderson) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/660166785128407040">October 30, 2015</a>
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Grantland and the people there changed my life. I'm going to miss it terribly. </p>— Mike L. Goodman (@TheM_L_G) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/660165540875542528">October 30, 2015</a>
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<p class="embed-spacer"> <div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
<a href="https://t.co/oF6KcCtqB4">pic.twitter.com/oF6KcCtqB4</a> </p>— Rembert Browne (@rembert) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/660160810581368832">October 30, 2015</a>
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Got to work with warm, smart, wildly talented people who believed in me for five years. I’ve been the luckiest writer on earth. </p>— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/660158747843555328">October 30, 2015</a>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
Over everything else right now, I'm grateful to have gotten to work with so many brilliant, funny, weird, wonderful people. I love you guys. </p>— Fear Itself (@runofplay) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/660168481938141184">October 30, 2015</a>
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<p> </p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-has-suspended-bill-simmons-former-website-grantland-2015-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-wonderlic-test-rookie-questions-iq-2016-11">Take the IQ test that every rookie has to take</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-and-twitter-scare-publishers-2015-10Publishers should be scared of Facebook and Twitterhttp://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-and-twitter-scare-publishers-2015-10
Sat, 24 Oct 2015 12:55:00 -0400Jamal Carnette
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/559a8e9c6bb3f73603804f03-958-719/mark-zuckerberg-484.jpg" alt="Mark Zuckerberg" data-mce-source="Robert Galbraith/Reuters" data-link="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZY5CKS7L&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1920&amp;RH=843#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZY5CKS7L&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1920&amp;RH=843&amp;PN=4&amp;POPUPPN=196&amp;POPUPIID=2C0BF1N6HCM6" /></p><p>It's safe to say we're in the golden age of online publishing. What started as a cadre of bloggers has grown in scale to become as important as traditional outlets. Due to the presence of cheap outlets like Facebook&nbsp;and Twitter, essentially anybody with a good idea and a WordPress account can reach an audience of millions.</p>
<p>In turn, many of these writers have a star-like following, and can often drive news cycles in less than 140 characters, an outlet Woodward and Bernstein would have died for in the late '70s.</p>
<p>Major media outlets have noticed: In August, NBC Universal, a division of Comcast, invested in both Vox Media and Buzzfeed with post-money valuations of $1.05 billion and $1.5 billion, respectively.'</p>
<p>And then last month, German publisher Axel Springer reacted to losing the&nbsp;<em>Financial Times</em> bid by buying Business Insider for a valuation of $442 million. The Walt Disney Company has gotten in on the action by adding Grantland and Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight to its digital offerings. AOL's purchase of The Huffington Post... this list goes on.</p>
<p>The reason why is there's been a shift in audience away from traditional outlets like print and television to digital and mobile formats. As such, these major companies need to diversify their media mix accordingly, and it's simply easier to buy equity in these sites than to try to build one from the ground up. However, more recently, there have been developments that could present headwinds to future growth for online publishing.</p>
<p><strong>Ad blockers and gatekeepers<br /></strong>For these nimble, ad-supported publishers, the first shoe to drop was Apple's <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/10/16/ad-blockers-are-great-for-facebook-inc-and-apple-i.aspx?source=iaasitlnk0000003">inclusion of ad blockers</a> on its iOS mobile operating system. Under pressure from readers concerned with privacy and an increasingly degraded user experience, Apple added the option -- and it was initially quite popular.</p>
<p>Of course, sites reacted negatively to this because it hurts their business models, but when even the Senior VP of the online-ad trade group Interactive Advertising Bureau admits, "We messed up" and "lost control of the user experience," it's hard to argue that Apple should not have included ad blockers.</p>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/561a52ba9dd7cc04308b5900-680-510/ad blocker.jpg" alt="Ad blocker" data-mce-source="AFP" /></p>
<p>However, the next development may be more detrimental to publishers.</p>
<p>In a video rant on&nbsp;<a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/20/smoothing-publishers-out-of-the-user-experience/?ncid=rss&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&amp;sr_share=twitter">TechCrunch</a>, Josh Constine argues that Twitter and Facebook are attempting to hijack the monetization of content by hosting the content on their site, and not acting as a click-through page to publishers' sites. As most publishers make their money once you visit the site, this is an obvious problem for websites.</p>
<p>At this moment, I feel the concern is overstated. First, it should also be noted that this specific treatment is only for Twitter's Moments feature and Facebook's Instant Ads, not for every article.</p>
<p>In addition, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/05/12/facebook-instant-articles/">and from an article Constine wrote</a>, Facebook is working with publishers to monetize ads in Instant Articles: If the publisher sells the ad, it receives 100% of revenue, and if Facebook sells it, the publisher only receives 70%.</p>
<p>Presumably, Facebook controls how many ads are placed, but this does not appear to be the motive of a company looking to destroy publishers.</p>
<p><strong>These outlets, especially Twitter, should monetize this value<br /></strong>I don't blame Facebook or Twitter for looking to monetize this traffic more effectively. For Twitter, this is especially true, as many large publishers and their writers treat the service as nothing more than a distribution portal for their massive follower base, and a conversation forum only among other power users.</p>
<p>And that's fine, but if it's mostly a one-way distribution portal, then you should pay for that right -- Twitter has provided value to your organization, and should be compensated accordingly. Simply put, many publishers are taking more value than adding, and money should flow to the entity that provides the most economic value. Those thousands of followers have value, even if power users are not utilizing or interacting with them accordingly.</p>
<p>Not only that, Twitter recommends many of these writers during the on-boarding process, essentially bringing new followers &nbsp;-- almost indiscriminately -- to power users. Of course, both entities benefit from this arrangement: Twitter lowers its abandonment rate, and power users grow their follower counts, but it's quite apparent the service has the upper hand here.</p>
<p>While I don't personally think Facebook and Twitter are out to intentionally hurt publishers, both companies have the ability to do so. More broadly, however, it shows how unique these two companies are, and paints a favorable picture for their long-term successes.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/verizon-millennials-phone-frustration-2015-10" >For Millennials, this is the thing in wireless 'that frustrates them the most'</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-and-twitter-scare-publishers-2015-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/preauricular-sinus-small-hole-above-ear-2016-11">Here's why some people have a tiny hole above their ears</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/grantland-is-in-trouble-2015-10ESPN's Grantland is in troublehttp://www.businessinsider.com/grantland-is-in-trouble-2015-10
Mon, 19 Oct 2015 16:31:23 -0400Scott Davis
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/562531c19dd7cc16008c2f0b-1151-864/bill simmons.jpg" alt="bill simmons" data-mce-source="Mike Windle/Getty" /></p><p>ESPN's Grantland has been in a state of flux since <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/report-bill-simmons-done-working-at-espn-2015-5">Bill Simmons' exit</a> from the site earlier in the year.</p>
<p>Now it appears that the entire site is on the verge of decline, <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/10/espn-grantland-problem">according to a report from James Andrew Miller on VanityFair.com</a>.</p>
<p>After Simmons and ESPN parted ways, Grantland, Simmons' ESPN spinoff website, has seen its infrastructure begin to crumble. Many of its top staff have left in recent months, including critic Wesley Morris, Mallory Rubin, Juliet Litman, and Chris Ryan. Rembert Browne announced Monday that he would be leaving the site a full year before his contract is up.</p>
<p>While Morris and Browne have left for other ventures &mdash;&nbsp;The&nbsp;New York Times and <a href="https://twitter.com/nymagPR/status/656158282126462976">New York magazine</a>, respectively &mdash; Simmons has recruited others to join&nbsp;to whatever his new venture will be with HBO. According to Miller, deputy editor Sean Fennessy is joining Simmons after turning down an opportunity to become Grantland's editor-in-chief, joining other Grantland converts like Ryan, Rubin, and Litman.</p>
<p>One source told Business Insider that Simmons actually tried to hire more people from Grantland, but was unable to. It is unclear if ESPN was blocking their exits or if the staffers chose not to join Simmons.</p>
<p>There are other signs that Grantland is in trouble, with Miller saying that there is "fear" over the site's future, as more departures are expected and traffic and ad revenue are diminutive.</p>
<p>In fact, Miller reports that Simmons' new podcast is fairing pretty well in comparison to Grantland:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">ESPN sources place annual ad revenue for Grantland at about $6 million a year, including the Web site and a Simmons podcast, but since his departure from ESPN, Simmons has rolled out his own ...&nbsp;podcast, which, according to an industry expert, is probably worth north of $5 million in yearly revenue alone. Thus Simmons is now making for himself roughly the same as Grantland's entire annual ad-sales revenue.</p>
<p>As Miller notes, Simmons often felt that ESPN didn't do enough to push Grantland's content, and he had several ideas for the site that never took off, including getting more visibility on ESPN's main page and mobile app, finding a Grantland platform for Fox Sports' Katie Nolan, and getting more ad revenue for his old podcast, "The B.S. Report."</p>
<p>The hope for Grantland's survival, according to Miller? Bitterness.</p>
<p>ESPN has continued to say that Grantland's traffic and ad revenue is fine, pushing the idea that Simmons' departure didn't mean much to the site. Miller says that ESPN may keep Grantland alive, just to continue promoting that idea.</p>
<p>But&nbsp;in light of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/more-espn-layoffs-2015-9">ESPN's layoffs</a> and financial trouble, it seems that keeping a slowly fading website alive out of bitterness would be a waste of resources. While there's&nbsp;no official end of the line for Grantland, it certainly seems things are trending in the wrong direction.</p>
<p>We reached out to ESPN and it chose not to comment.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/grantland-is-in-trouble-2015-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dallas-cowboys-forbes-nfl-football-sports-valuation-2015-9">Here’s why the Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable sports franchise in the world</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/why-mark-cuban-hates-when-kids-appear-on-shark-tank-2015-8Mark Cuban explains what he hates most on 'Shark Tank'http://www.businessinsider.com/why-mark-cuban-hates-when-kids-appear-on-shark-tank-2015-8
Mon, 10 Aug 2015 11:13:00 -0400Richard Feloni
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/55c518a2371d22462c8bbddd-883-662/mark cuban.jpg" alt="mark cuban shark tank" data-mce-source="" /></p><p>Mark Cuban has repeatedly said the real reason he has stayed in the cast of "Shark Tank" is that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-on-shark-tank-2014-12">he strongly supports the way it inspires people, especially kids, to become entrepreneurs</a>. He likes to call the show "the New Age lemonade stand."</p>
<p>But despite saying he loves the way the reality show unites families around an interest in business, he has some strong feelings about kids who appear in the Tank.</p>
<p>"I hate when we have kids on," <a href="http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-lowe-post-podcast-mark-cuban-on-deandre-jordan-tanking-and-shark-tank/">Cuban tells Grantland writer Zach Lowe on Lowe's podcast</a>. "Hate, hate, hate. Kids and animals. Kids and animals are the worst. The worst, the worst, the worst."</p>
<p>It's not that he's a curmudgeon, exactly. It's just that he thinks these aspects of "good TV" get in the way of business.</p>
<p>He adopted a rule from the renowned venture capitalist Fred Wilson: "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-on-fred-wilson-investing-rule-2015-7">The longer the backstory, the worse the deal</a>." This has made Cuban start getting wary whenever there is a sob story about an entrepreneur's struggle, or an inspirational tale of a child prodigy, or a cute dog brought in with the intention of making the investors smile.</p>
<p>He especially hates the way so-called child entrepreneurs are often merely mascots for the company their parent created and operates.</p>
<p>It's also frustrating, he tells Lowe, that he feels the need to censor himself when a kid is in the room. He says he will not call a father an idiot in front of his child even if that's what he thinks.</p>
<p>"You just can't be honest," Cuban says.</p>
<p>You can <a href="http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-lowe-post-podcast-mark-cuban-on-deandre-jordan-tanking-and-shark-tank/">listen to the full podcast episode at Grantland</a>, where Lowe and Cuban discuss investing as well as the NBA and Cuban's pro basketball team, the Dallas Mavericks.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-on-fred-wilson-investing-rule-2015-7" >Mark Cuban explains one of his top investing rules, courtesy of star venture capitalist Fred Wilson</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-mark-cuban-hates-when-kids-appear-on-shark-tank-2015-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-pitches-shark-tank-small-business-2015-6">This is what 'Shark Tank' investor Mark Cuban looks for in the perfect pitch</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-on-fred-wilson-investing-rule-2015-7Mark Cuban explains one of his top investing rules, courtesy of star venture capitalist Fred Wilsonhttp://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-on-fred-wilson-investing-rule-2015-7
Mon, 03 Aug 2015 13:30:20 -0400Richard Feloni
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/55a9257f371d2254008b7527-1200-900/1-1651.jpg" alt="Mark Cuban" data-mce-source="Screenshot from ABC's " /></p><p>Anytime someone walks into<span>&nbsp;the pitch room&nbsp;<span>on "Shark Tank" wearing</span></span>&nbsp;a costume or making a spectacle, you can expect investor Mark Cuban to say,&nbsp;"Are you kidding me?"</p>
<p>The show's producers may like when&nbsp;entrepreneurs put on a show, but it immediately sets off a trigger in Cuban's mind, <a href="http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-lowe-post-podcast-mark-cuban-on-deandre-jordan-tanking-and-shark-tank/">he tells Grantland writer Zach Lowe in the latest&nbsp;episode of Lowe's podcast</a>.</p>
<p>His reaction is based on a principle he heard from Union Square Ventures cofounder <a href="http://avc.com/">Fred Wilson</a>: "The longer the backstory, the worse the deal."</p>
<p>"If someone starts a pitch with a sob story, no matter how horrific and&nbsp;how heartbreaking it is, if you want to help them because they need personal help, great &mdash; but if they start with a sob story, always walk away," Cuban says.</p>
<p>"If they start with pomp and circumstance and all kinds of misdirection ... have a second thought," he says. "That's why you see me roll my eyes when all that stuff comes out, because I want to get right to the business. I want to get to the things that help me make a decision one way or the other."</p>
<p>Cuban&nbsp;says fellow Sharks Lori Greiner and Robert Herjavec eat that stuff up&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;and he knows it makes for great television&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;but it just doesn't make for good business.</p>
<p>You can <a href="http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-lowe-post-podcast-mark-cuban-on-deandre-jordan-tanking-and-shark-tank/">listen to the full podcast episode at Grantland</a>, where Lowe and Cuban discuss Cuban's pro basketball team&nbsp;the Dallas Mavericks, the NBA,&nbsp;and investing.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/robert-herjavec-lessons-from-being-a-waiter-2015-7" >'Shark Tank' investor Robert Herjavec shares 6 business lessons he learned from waiting tables</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-on-fred-wilson-investing-rule-2015-7#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-advice-millenials-2015-6">Mark Cuban's advice for his 20-year-old self — and millennials now</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/shia-labeouf-provides-some-motivation-2015-6Shia LaBeouf has something to say to the Cavs and Warriorshttp://www.businessinsider.com/shia-labeouf-provides-some-motivation-2015-6
Thu, 04 Jun 2015 21:38:00 -0400Jonathan Fisher
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5570f90eecad046b152f16da-1092-819/shia-labeouf-nba-finals-motivational-video.png" border="0" alt="Shia LaBeouf NBA Finals motivational video"></p><p>Shia LaBeouf had a few words to help pump up the Cavs and the Warriors before the first game of the 2015 NBA Finals.</p>
<p>Using a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuHfVn_cfHU">motivational speech that the actor recorded</a> in front of a green screen last month, the video staff at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/GrantlandNetwork">Grantland</a> created a hilarious mashup, which featured Shia telling everyone that in order to win they can't "let their dreams be dreams. Just do it!" Welcome to the NBA Finals.</p>
<p>You can watch the video below: </p>
<div><div>
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KICa2fHvn7A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></div>
<p class="embed-spacer"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p> </p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cavaliers-warriors-nba-finals-preview-2015-6#ixzz3c9CqmVkx" >Here's how the Cleveland Cavaliers can pull off an upset over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/shia-labeouf-provides-some-motivation-2015-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/game-of-thrones-stars-real-life-2015-4">Here's what 'Game of Thrones' stars look like in real life</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-leaving-espn-2015-5Bill Simmons is leaving ESPNhttp://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-leaving-espn-2015-5
Fri, 08 May 2015 10:27:00 -0400Tony Manfred
<p><img class="full" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/55070af969bedd060a06ed63-1200-750/104657813.jpg" border="0" alt="Bill Simmons"></p><p>Bill Simmons is leaving ESPN, the network's president, John Skipper, <a href="https://twitter.com/RichSandomir/status/596681480639750145">told Richard Sandomir of The New York Times</a>.</p>
<p>In a statement, Skipper said he chose not to extend Simmons' contract:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">I decided today that we are not going to renew Bill Simmons' contract. We have been in negotiations and it was clear it was time to move on. ESPN's relationship with Bill has been mutually beneficial — he has produced great content for us for many years and ESPN has provided him many new opportunities to spread his wings. We wish Bill continued success as he plans his next chapter. ESPN remains committed to Grantland and we have a strong team in place.</p>
<p>After becoming one of the country's most popular sports columnists while writing for ESPN.com, Simmons founded Grantland.com and worked on the network's acclaimed "30 for 30" documentary series.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">His contract with ESPN is up later this year. In <a href="http://recode.net/2015/03/15/espns-bill-simmons-talks-podcasts-grantland-and-his-next-contract/">an interview with Re/code in March</a>, he questioned ESPN's support for him and his site.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">"I think they take it for granted," he said. "Not just how hard I work, but how hard everybody works."</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">After Simmons was suspended in October for criticizing ESPN in a podcast, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gossip-bill-simmons-wants-out-of-espn-2014-10">industry scuttlebutt was that he wanted out</a>. Business Insider's Nicholas Carlson reported at the time that he made about $3 million a year.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">Simmons' relationship with the network was <span>contentious</span> at times. He was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-espn-suspended-bill-simmons-2014-9">suspended three times between 2009 and 2014</a>, all for publicly criticizing ESPN colleagues or ESPN itself. His most recent suspension came when, in a podcast, he <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-rant-about-roger-goodell-2014-9">dared the network to admonish him behind the scenes</a> for calling NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a liar. He said:</p>
<p class="embed-spacer" style="padding-left: 30px;">I really hope somebody calls me or emails me and says I'm in trouble for anything I say about Roger Goodell. Because if one person says that to me, I'm going public. You leave me alone. The commissioner's a liar, and I get to talk about that on my podcast ... Please, call me and say I'm in trouble. I dare you.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">ESPN suspended him for three weeks. An ESPN source told Business Insider that Simmons was suspended because he called out ESPN, not just because he criticized Goodell.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">Sandomir reports that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/09/sports/bill-simmons-and-espn-are-parting-ways.html">Simmons' contract is up at the end of September</a>. On recent podcasts, Simmons has said he will appear on ESPN's broadcast of the NBA Draft on June 25.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">In a surprisingly candid interview in December, ESPN's outgoing ombudsman, Robert Lipsyte, <a href="http://thebiglead.com/2014/12/04/an-interview-with-robert-lipsyte-outgoing-espn-ombudsman/">told The Big Lead that Simmons was expendable</a>:</p>
<p class="embed-spacer" style="padding-left: 30px;">It's as if sports documentaries and literary sportswriting were Sports Guy inventions. HBO, anyone? Sports Illustrated at its prime? Point is, these are the current extensions of celebrated genres. Should Simmons ankle off, so long as ESPN keeps nurturing them and writers like Bryan Curtis and Wesley Morris stay at Grantland, and producers such as Connor Schell and Libby Geist keep running 30 for 30, all will be well.</p>
<p class="embed-spacer">Once Simmons decides what he wants to do next, he'll <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gossip-bill-simmons-wants-out-of-espn-2014-10">have plenty of suitors</a>.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-leaving-espn-2015-5#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-floyd-mayweather-unbeatable-oscar-de-la-hoya-pacquiao-boxing-2015-5">Why Floyd Mayweather is impossible to beat</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-espn-takes-grantland-for-granted-2015-3With new contract looming, Bill Simmons says ESPN takes him and his Grantland site for grantedhttp://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-espn-takes-grantland-for-granted-2015-3
Mon, 16 Mar 2015 14:52:00 -0400Cork Gaines
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/55070b3269bedd9f0b06ed63-620-/bill-simmons-14.jpg" alt="Bill Simmons" border="0" width="620"></p><p>Whether you like him or not, few members of sports media continue to move the needle quite like ESPN's Bill Simmons. But with his contract expiring later this year, speculation continues to swirl that he will leave ESPN, and comments during a recent interview are not going to quell those theories anytime soon.</p>
<p><a href="http://recode.net/2015/03/15/espns-bill-simmons-talks-podcasts-grantland-and-his-next-contract/">Peter Kafka of re/code recently caught up with Simmons</a> at SXSW in Austin and spoke to the artist formerly known as "The Sports Guy" about his future.</p>
<p>Simmons says that his decision on whether or not to stay at ESPN will start with how they plan to handle his website, Grantland.com, moving forward, noting that right now he thinks "they take it for granted."</p>
<p>"I just think Grantland’s at a crucial point now where we’re doing the site that we have now really, really well," Simmons told re/code. "So now the question is, what does that mean to ESPN? I don’t know. I don’t know that it’s a me decision — it’s what does ESPN want from this site? Because if they just want it to stay the same, it’s going to stagnate a little bit."</p>
<p>While Simmons says he has not made any demands to ESPN about Grantland, he does make it clear that changes need to be made and it sounds like his next move may be his last in terms of what he is doing now.</p>
<p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5507051fecad0444316828d8-1200-800/01-765.png" alt="Bill Simmons Quote" border="0"></p>
<p><span style="background-color: #00ffff;"><span style="background-color: #ffff00;"></span></span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-is-furious-with-espn-2014-10">Simmons reportedly makes more than $5 million per year at ESPN</a>, but the relationship has been rocky in recent years.</p>
<p>During his interview with re/code, Simmons said he hasn't had a lot of contact with ESPN President John Skipper or others in charge at ESPN "since last September."</p>
<p>This is almost certainly a reference to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-espn-suspended-bill-simmons-2014-9">his suspension last September</a> when he went on a rant against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and dared ESPN to suspend him.</p>
<p>Simmons concedes that part of the problem is that Grantland is such a small piece of ESPN's pie that they may not feel it is worth the effort, noting that ESPN makes "billions of dollars with TV rights." However he also says ESPN has a "responsibility" to continue to push successful side projects they "dabble in" to see how great they can be.</p>
<p>On the flip side, ESPN's outgoing ombudsman, Robert Lipsyte, recently explained <a href="http://thebiglead.com/2014/12/04/an-interview-with-robert-lipsyte-outgoing-espn-ombudsman/">in an interview with TheBigLead.com</a> that ESPN doesn't need Simmons to continue nurturing side projects like Grantland or the "30 for 30" documentaries.</p>
<p><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5481d6556da811b432b62c30-1200-600/02-112.png" alt="Robert Lipsyte Quote" border="0"></p>
<p>Yes, ESPN can keep those going and the content in all likelihood would be just as great or even continue to get better.</p>
<p>However, ESPN's problem is two-fold: 1) What's next? Simmons didn't invent sports documentaries or multimedia websites but he helped bring them to ESPN in a great way. ESPN has them now, but who is going to come up with the next great idea?; and 2) Who is going to be the central personality to bring the masses to those endeavors? Love him or hate, Simmons is a personality that people gravitate towards.</p>
<p>ESPN will be fine if Simmons leaves but it wouldn't be the same.</p>
<p>Business Insider reached out to ESPN who chose not to comment.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-espn-takes-grantland-for-granted-2015-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/crossfit-upper-body-exercise-workout-2015-2">3 hardcore exercises to build muscle super-fast</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-on-moneyball-2014-3Mark Cuban Explains Why Moneyball Doesn't Work In The NBAhttp://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-on-moneyball-2014-3
Fri, 28 Mar 2014 11:41:00 -0400Gus Lubin
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/533597606da811136a75daa1-1200-924/mark-cuban-33.jpg" border="0" alt="mark cuban" /></p><p>Baseball has been revolutionized by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Moneyball-Art-Winning-Unfair-Game/dp/0393324818">Moneyball</a> insights about the importance of on-base percentage and other advanced statistical measures in evaluating players.</p>
<p>Basketball isn't there yet.</p>
<p>Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says the complex team dynamics of basketball make it much more complicated, <a href="http://grantland.com/features/dallas-mavericks-monta-ellis-dirk-nowitzki-2014/">as he explains to Professor Kirk Goldsberry at Grantland</a>:</p>
<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not like Moneyball in baseball, where analytics are a good way to determine who to sign or who not to sign, unless where they were is analogous to where you&rsquo;re trying to bring them. [A basketball player] might have X number of win shares on a team that likes to push the ball, and a team that slows it down is a different beast. A guy might be a great rebounder if a team keeps him close to the basket, but if we show on pick-and-rolls or play zone, those numbers are going to be very different,&rdquo; Cuban says.</p>
<p>Statistics do matter in basketball, including the <a href="http://grantland.com/features/expected-value-possession-nba-analytics/">advanced metrics teams hope to get with expensive new camera systems</a>, but they aren't that effective yet.</p>
<p>Case in point is Monta Ellis, the guard who signed with the Mavericks last summer. Ellis used to be notorious among stat geeks for taking lots of bad shots, but since coming to Dallas he has been reborn as a powerful and surprisingly effective offensive force.</p>
<p>About the haters, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle tells Goldsberry: "Those guys are idiots."</p>
<h3><a href="http://grantland.com/features/dallas-mavericks-monta-ellis-dirk-nowitzki-2014/">Read a full analysis of Ellis's turnaround and the Mavericks' playoff run at Grantland &raquo;</a></h3><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/big-data-in-the-workplace-2013-5" >Moneyball at work</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-on-moneyball-2014-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-speaker-at-sbjd-convention-on-grantlandcom-and-twitter-2011-11Bill Simmons Tells Us About Grantland And The Future Of Sports Journalismhttp://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-speaker-at-sbjd-convention-on-grantlandcom-and-twitter-2011-11
Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:55:00 -0500Ariel Sandler
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/4b071d2e000000000088e3ae/bill-simmons.jpg" border="0" alt="bill simmons" /></p><p>He doesn&rsquo;t want his writers overly concerned with page views or site traffic.</p>
<p>And why should he? <strong><a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/bill-simmons">Bill Simmons</a></strong> rarely follows convention. He doesn&rsquo;t need to. And usually gets it right. Usually.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">&ldquo;There have been times when I missed &ndash; like the cartoon,&rdquo; Simmons said, referring to his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1ye2Pe9W_Q">failed online cartoon series</a>, following his one-on-one interview session at Wednesday&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Conferences-Events/2011/2011-Sports-Media-and-Technology.aspx">SBJD Media and Technology convention</a>.</p>
<p>Or the time he projected Josh Freeman as the next great quarterback.</p>
<p>But it pretty much ends there. The Boston Sports Guy hasn&rsquo;t missed on much. He&rsquo;s the most popular writer in sports thanks to his unique perspectives on sports and pop culture. And, recently, his creative vision has led to opportunities like ESPN&rsquo;s &ldquo;30 for 30&rdquo; documentary series and <em><a href="http://www.grantland.com/">Grantland.com</a></em>, where Simmons acts as editor-in-chief.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t be happier,&rdquo; Simmons said about his new website.</p>
<p>He&rsquo;s thrilled about Grantland&rsquo;s success, especially considering they were vastly understaffed at the time of the site&rsquo;s launch &ndash; minus the whole, waking up early thing.</p>
<p>He recognizes the site will need further tweaking &ndash; like redesigning Grantland&rsquo;s current layout. Which Simmons readily admitted was rather awful. But Simmons also struggled to understand his detractors that have called <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/grantland">Grantland</a> out for not featuring more long-form writing.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">&ldquo;It was never intended to be that way, it was intended to be entertaining,&rdquo; Simmons said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t agree that it&rsquo;s a long-form site.&rdquo;</p>
<p>There is still plenty of that. Like Michael Weinreb&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7205085/growing-penn-state">fascinating piece</a> about his ties to Penn State University during this emotional time. But there is also the wildly-successful reality show fantasy league series, in which reality star fantasy teams are assigned points based on each character&rsquo;s ridiculousness.</p>
<p>The key, obviously, is finding talent able to write about this wide range of topics. So how does Simmons seek out rising stars?</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">&ldquo;We look for people that stand out,&rdquo; Simmons said. &ldquo;And I think what&rsquo;s happened with the internet, especially with people under-30, is a lot of people are writing like each other. It&rsquo;s really hard to differentiate between some of the people. So the best way to do it is rise above and fill some of those voids.</p>
<p><a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/twitter">Twitter</a> has gone a long way in filling the void for journalists and consumers. And done wonders for Simmons&rsquo; career. Still, he is cautious about Twitter&rsquo;s effect on the future of journalism.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">&ldquo;I think Twitter is going to be a real danger to sports writing eventually,&rdquo; Simmons told the convention crowd, which let out a collective gasp.</p>
<p>Simmons worries that the instantaneous gratification one receives from Twitter will inhibit future writers from putting in the time and effort to write time-consuming, in-depth feature stories.</p>
<p>For those that enjoy writers like Simmons and recognize Twitter won&rsquo;t be going away any time soon, we can only hope he&rsquo;s wrong.</p>
<p>But I wouldn&rsquo;t bet on it.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-speaker-at-sbjd-convention-on-grantlandcom-and-twitter-2011-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-set-off-the-blogosphere-for-saying-nba-players-have-limited-intellectual-capital-2011-10Bill Simmons Set Off The Blogosphere For Saying NBA Players Have 'Limited Intellectual Capital'http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-set-off-the-blogosphere-for-saying-nba-players-have-limited-intellectual-capital-2011-10
Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:11:23 -0400Ariel Sandler
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/4e4064e3ecad041503000025/bill-simmons-mustache.jpg" border="0" alt="bill simmons mustache" /></p><p>The <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/nba">NBA</a> lockout has patience in basketball circles wearing thin. So much so that it&rsquo;s now responsible for writer on writer crime.</p>
<p><strong><a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/bill-simmons">Bill Simmons</a></strong> wrote an&nbsp;article Wednesday justifying his purchasing of <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/los-angeles-kings">Los Angeles Kings</a> season tickets. But it quickly evolved into <a href="http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7123705/arms-nhl">his issues with the ongoing NBA labor disputes</a>. And a particular sentence has the Twitterverse and blogosphere up in arms.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Simmons wrote that he doesn&rsquo;t trust players because of their &ldquo;limited intellectual capital.&rdquo;</p>
<p><em>SBNation.com&rsquo;s</em> <strong>Tom Ziller</strong> <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/10/20/2502297/nba-lockout-2011-bill-simmons-hook">wrote a scathing response</a> mocking much of what the <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/grantland">Grantland</a> editor wrote. In response to the particular quote about players&rsquo; intellect.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">&ldquo;A sportswriter who asserts without evidence that killing three teams, cutting the schedule, adding a play-in tournament, convincing players to reject millions of dollars and talking to <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/malcolm-gladwell">Malcolm Gladwell</a> will lead the NBA to the promised land is accusing NBA players of having limited intellectual capital. This is outrageous. There's really not much more to say about it other than Bill Simmons just said that players are largely stupid.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Players <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ATolliver44/status/127178378590695424">weren&rsquo;t thrilled</a> with Simmons&rsquo; remarks. Others are even questioning <a href="http://www.i-capitaladvisors.com/2011/10/21/bill-simmons-shows-his-ignorance-about-the-definition-of-intellectual-capital/">his use of the terminology</a>.</p>
<p>The statement is shocking. But would Simmons flat-out call NBA players &ldquo;stupid?&rdquo; It seems unlikely. The more likely case being made is that players&rsquo; lack of boardroom experience places them at a severe disadvantage at the negotiating table.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, everyone&rsquo;s at a disadvantage at the negotiating table when <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/even-the-mediator-is-advising-against-continuing-nba-lockout-negotiations-after-the-latest-talks-turned-ugly-2011-10"><em>no one</em> is at the negotiating table</a>.</p>
<p>The lockout has pitted players versus owners, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cameramen-nba-lockout-2011-10">cameraman against cameraman</a>, and now <a href="http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/216107/ESPNs_Simmons_Believes_Players_Have_Limited_Intellectual_Capital">exploded the blogosphere</a>. With talks at an impasse, who knows what battle will be next.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-simmons-set-off-the-blogosphere-for-saying-nba-players-have-limited-intellectual-capital-2011-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-passes-yahoo-web-traffic-2011-10ESPN.com Shattered Records And Passed Yahoo As The Most Popular Sports Website Last Monthhttp://www.businessinsider.com/espn-passes-yahoo-web-traffic-2011-10
Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:07:00 -0400Tony Manfred
<p><a href="http://adage.com/article/digital/espn-overtakes-yahoo-sports-time-2008/230477/"><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/4de64de249e2ae5120050000/bill-simmons.png" border="0" alt="bill simmons" /></a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/espn" class="hidden_link">ESPN</a>.com <a href="http://adage.com/article/digital/espn-overtakes-yahoo-sports-time-2008/230477/">set an all-time record for unique visitors</a> and passed <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/yahoo" class="hidden_link">Yahoo</a>! Sports as the most popular U.S. sports website last month, Ad Age reports.</p>
<p>It's the first time since 2008 that ESPN is No. 1.</p>
<p>ESPN registered 52 million unique users in the U.S. in September, compared to 49 million for Yahoo!.</p>
<p>The Worldwide Leader attributed the jump to improvements to its Gamecast format, as well as the popularity of Bill Simmons' <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/grantland" class="hidden_link">Grantland</a>.com &mdash; which ESPN includes in its numbers.</p>
<p>There were over 100,000 people on ESPN web properties at any given time in September, ESPN told Ad Age.</p>
<p>ESPN added an impressive 11 million unique visitors from the <a href="http://thebiglead.com/index.php/2011/09/15/sports-online-web-traffic-for-august-2011/">41 million it registered last month</a>. Yahoo increased its readership by 2 million.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-passes-yahoo-web-traffic-2011-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p>